Majella Sparkling Shiraz
Red sparkler? Are you having a laugh?
When I poured this Shiraz from the Lynn family in Coonawarra, it held all the promise of a Heston Blumenthal raspberry sorbet. Alive fizzy and erm…raspberry coloured.
But it disappointed badly. A heavy wine with some cherry and banana but slightly stale like old cornflakes.
Champagne is about sparkling clarity. The...
Weekend Wino sapien #7
I donned a pair of flared pants and and open neck paisley shirt made of nylon, in an effort to capture a youth which was never mine. I blame the tightness of my pants for my lack of vinous concentration. . .The Ruinart Blanc de Blanc NV was terrific an...
Kooyong Clonale Chardonnay 2007
Mornington, Victoria, Australia. Chardonnay. Diam. Approx $A25As the book mark indicates, I am only a chapter in to this wonderfully evocative novel, full of adjectival brilliance, by Peter Carey. It's been sitting on my bookshelf for a few years, wait...
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 2000
My hand written recollections of the first wine of the night. Later on, I sipped with little enthusiasm at my glass of 1992 Hill of Grace. It was quite smelly, like over cooked cabbage and surprisingly sweet in the mouth.http://feeds.feedburner.com/Win...
RK by Giaconda Chardonnay 2008
Beechworth, Victoria, Australia. Chardonnay. 13.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A40Like its red twin this is only available at Vintage Cellars. It's quite convincing. Flinty and fleshy and smelling of struck match, grilled pineapple and peaches. Plump and almond...
Weekend wino sapien #6
The last weekend of school holidays and I am feeling pensive. Maybe it's my reading material. The grim, but well written tale of dreams gone wrong by Philipp Meyer is captivating but full sorrow.2001 Penfolds St Henri. 14.5% and quite brutish. Grainy a...
Hardy’s Varietal Range Chardonnay 2007
It is all too easy to be sniffy about the major wine brands when you’ve had your nose in the books of Parker and Robinson. But have you tried anything from Chilean producer Concha y Toro lately? Or the sub brands Cono Sur and Casillero del Diablo? Interesting stuff and generally high quality, but in the UK, I remember...
Stunning Aussie Riesling
I'm on the Riesling trail at the moment. Here's a brilliant Australian Riesling from the Clare Valley that's utterly delicious, with a nice elegance coupled with limey intensity.
Skillogalee Trevarrick Riesling 2008 Clare Valley
11% alcohol, sealed wi...
Flametree Chardonnay 2007
Margaret River, Western Australia. Chardonnay. 13.5%. Screwcap. Approx $A25Wine trivia - Did you know that an empty bottle of 1982 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild is worth more than 100 euros on ebay. . .Tasting note - This is a pretty impressive wine, thoug...
Kooyong Ferrous Pinot noir 2006
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. Pinot noir. 14%. Diam. Approx $A65.I remember in 2002 drinking my fill of the first release from Kooyong (1999 Pinot noir). They have come a long way since then, now producing a variety of single vineyard wine...
